Beans

Missing from the lineup this season are Yard Long, Sequoia, Lima and yellow varieties, having succumbed to weather or slugs. Unfortunately for them, that was the last of the seed stock (this was going to be a seed-saving year). I sowed more Trionfo Violetto and Kentucky Wonder as replacements and got a glut of those.

Black Russian broad bean sizing up, mid July

Kentucky Wonder, mid July

Trionfo Violetto, mid August

 

The beans started cropping in mid July. By mid August, I had Trionfos coming out my ears. Shifting this neglected overgrown lot wasn't easy (snork). Subsequent production was left on the vine to dry.

Dragon Tongue, Southern Cowpeas and Alabama Black Eyed Butterbeans were wiped out as well but two of my Cranberries survived.

'Borlotti' bean, a Cranberry member

True Red Cranberry bean,
a Québec/New England heirloom, acquired last season

Dried beans, a modest harvest
L to R: Borlotti & Runner, True Red Cranberry,
dried Trionfo Violetto & other 'green' beans

Links:

True Red Cranberry history

Warba

I'm growing spuds this year! (Why the exclamation point? Well, last time I did was in 2009, the year Late Blight swept the Northeast. Are we headed for a repeat?). I'm growing small, container crops of seven varieties. First up:

Warba

An early variety (some say mid-season). Pale skin and flesh. Pink eyes. Good for boiling and baking. They were planted April 27th and flowered (just barely) roughly 2 weeks ago.

Warba (right). I thought the chits were a bit sketchy
but they did well regardless

Simple straw-lined wire basket setup



Day 60 (or thereabouts). I think they were just starting to flower.
Curiously, the tiny buds didn't actually bloom.



Yield: not huge but decent for 3-4 seeds.
Roughly a dozen large, a dozen medium and a dozen small spuds




Modest but delicious little lunch. Lettuce, courtesy of the garden, as well.

Verdict: Nice potato. Good taste. (The neighbors seem to agree). A variety I would definitely grow again. Anyone with a longer growing season, or even me in a good year, could manage 2 crops.

Starting Your Own Seed Collection

From Seed Savers' webinar archive. One of many videos on various topics available. Check it out.

Heritage Farm - Seed Savers HQ

Great little video put together by Iowa Public Television featuring Heritage Farm, the Seed Savers Exchange headquarters.

Click on photo to watch video on IPTV site

Seed Savers Exchange
Seed Savers Exchange on G+
Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver by Diane Ott Whealy (2011)

Don Tipping

Seed farmer/grower/developer and owner of Seven Seeds Farm in Williams, OR.
Site: Siskiyou Seeds
Related site: Family Farmers Seed Cooperative

Above, Don gave a talk at the BC Seeds Gathering 2012 which took place in November. Embedding has been disabled but you can watch on YT along with other videos of the gathering via Farm Folk City Folk's channel.

Farm Folk City Folk website